Up until 2016,
Immersion had been one of several long-dormant side projects of
Colin Newman and
Malka Spigel. The duo's sporadic releases during the '90s explored techno, ambient, and drum'n'bass from a post-punk perspective, spreading the duo's recognizable guitar tones and basslines across more expansive instrumental soundscapes. Following 1999's sprawling zone-out
Low Impact,
Newman resumed his duties as the frontman of post-punk heroes
Wire, and both
Newman and
Spigel continued running their Swim label, in addition to forming the arty but accessible alternative rock group
Githead.
Immersion unexpectedly returned in 2016 with Analogue Creatures Living on an Island, easily the project's most melodic, focused effort yet. 2018 follow-up
Sleepless is a further refinement, with tighter song structures and steadier rhythms which effortlessly draw connections between Krautrock and techno. While tracks like "MS19" and the very
Neu!-like "Propulsoid" are breezy jaunts down a moonlit highway, others such as "Microclimate" are like atmospheric pop songs which just happen to be instrumental. "Hovertron" is a bright, pleasant melange of chiming guitars, dubby bass guitar, and complex yet unassuming dance beats. The gorgeous "The Humming Sea" switches the mood to something more downcast and lovelorn, with a simple but emotive bassline and foggy, swirling guitars and keyboards which spell out a feeling of despair. The more upbeat "Manic Toys" marries minimalist clicks with almost gamelan-like percussion, equally recalling
Seefeel and
Tortoise. The more ominous "Seeing Is Believing" takes its time before introducing a series of filtered, multi-layered drum patterns. In general, it's difficult to think of
Immersion as anything other than a side project; they experiment with ideas rather than fully commit to them, and it's hard to disassociate
Newman's familiar guitar sound from his main group. That said, the rebooted
Immersion sounds far more engaging than the project's original incarnation, which had a tendency to meander, and
Sleepless is certainly one of its best efforts. ~ Paul Simpson